Iowa GOP Straw Poll moving to Boone

DES MOINES, Iowa – Republicans have picked a new location for the famed Iowa Straw Poll – traditionally, the presidential primary season’s lead-off popularity contest. “Cost was a factor. Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * The Ames Straw Poll will happen this year, but for the first time, it won’t be in Ames.“Iowa’s agricultural background has always captured the national imagination, and we feel the Central Iowa Expo will help us showcase this heritage,” Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a press release. “This venue also allows us to keep ticket prices affordable, ensuring families from across Iowa can participate in this one-of-a-kind event.” The announcement ends speculation about the future of the straw poll, which has long been held in nearby Ames, and been criticized for being an unreliable predictor of who will ultimately win the GOP presidential nomination.

The high-profile Republican cattle call has been a staple in presidential politics for decades, giving candidates eager to prove their electability in the key early-voting state. Less clear are which GOP candidates will choose to compete in the contest. * Speaking of Iowa, a senior adviser on Jeb Bush’s team is already managing expectations. “If we lose Iowa, we’re fine,” the unnamed staffers said yesterday. “If [Scott Walker] loses Iowa, he’s done.” * And speaking of Jeb Bush, as the former governor continues to more closer to his presidential campaign, he’s ending his private-sector dealings. The party’s 17-member State Central Committee voted via a conference call Thursday morning to hold the daylong event in Boone because they felt it would be able to accommodate a large number of people and be more easily accessible to elderly activists. This week, the shift includes “selling ownership stakes in Jeb Bush & Associates … and in Britton Hill Partnership, a business advisory group that in 2013 set up private-equity funds investing in energy and aviation.” * Kentucky is one of three states hold gubernatorial elections this year, and according to SurveyUSA, state Attorney General Jack Conway (D) is the early favorite. In hypothetical general election match-ups, Conway leads each of his likely Republican challengers by margins ranging from 2 to 19 points. * In Wisconsin, the latest PPP survey shows former Sen.

It has no official sway on the state’s caucus outcome, but candidates spend thousands of dollars to woo voters as they head into the last six months of campaigning before the Feb. 1 caucuses. Ron Johnson (R), with the Democrat leading, 50% to 41%. * As if the race for the Democratic nomination in the Maryland Senate race weren’t competitive enough already, Rep. Democrats do not hold a straw poll for their candidates and will be caucusing on the same day as Republicans. “Every candidate I now talk to, I talk about [the] straw poll,” said Kaufmann.

Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) is reportedly “on the verge” of kicking off his own campaign. * Over the last nine years, Florida’s Charlie Crist has run for governor twice and the U.S. Marco Rubio (R) likely to give up his seat, Crist is considering another statewide race in 2016. * And Texas won’t hold its presidential primary until next March, but Rand Paul is already opening his first field office in the Lone Star State this week.